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The Assembly Health Committee wrapped up 2017 with 34 bills signed into law and 19 vetoed, including four which were vetoed with specific agreement for further administrative actions. Some bills were signed or vetoed based on agreements to enact changes in 2018. (A governor often raises concerns and wants changes in a bill after it has been passed by the Legislature. This usually happens after the Legislature has adjourned for the year. It is not widely known to the public, but in New York it is common for a governor to insist that the leaders of the Legislature agree to changes in a bill as a condition of the governor signing it. If the legislative leaders and the bill’s sponsors agree, the governor then signs the bill and the Legislature enacts the changes early in the following year.)

The Assembly Health Committee also held public hearings including:

Home care workforce adequacy.

Adult home oversight and funding.

Health care services in state prisons and local jails.

Nursing home quality of care and enforcement.

Water quality budget implementation.

Immigrant access to healthcare.

Below are summaries of bills acted on by the Governor as well as the public hearings.

Contact: For Immediate Release

Mischa Sogut September 18, 2017

On Tuesday, September 19, the Assembly Committees on Health, Aging, and Social Services will hold a public hearing in New York City on safety and quality of adult homes (“adult care facilities”) A second will be held in Syracuse on September 28 at 11 AM at the John J. Hughes State Office Building.

Adult homes house both aging individuals and those with complex medical or mental health needs, providing supportive services for independent living. They offer services less medical than nursing homes or enhanced assisted living, but more so than senior living. Adult homes are funded largely by Medicaid and the New York State Supplement Program (SSP), which provides financial support to the aged and disabled. Advocates are concerned that the current SSP rate is too low, shortchanging facilities and affecting quality of care.

The hearing will examine the availability and quality of adult home services, including the impact of increased funding for such programs. Witnesses are expected to include adult home residents, advocates, and operators.

What:

NYS Assembly public hearing on adult homes

Who:

-NYS Assembly Committees on Health, Aging, and Social Services
-Adult home residents
-Resident advocates including self-advocates
-Adult home operators

“City & State NY Debate” Shows that an Improved Medicare-for-All Single Payer System Would Guarantee Coverage for All New Yorkers and Save 98% Money on Health Care Costs

Dear friends,

Earlier this week, I participated in a podcast debate hosted by the media outlet City and State New York on the New York Health Act, my bill to establish an “improved Medicare for all” single-payer health plan to provide universal coverage to every New York resident, regardless of wealth, income, age or health status (A.4738, Gottfried/S.4840. Rivera). Opposing me in the debate was Bill Hammond of the Empire Center, a conservative Albany-based think tank. I think you’ll find the debate informative and interesting, which is why I’m sharing it with you today.

Assembly to Pass New York Health Act Today

(Albany, NY, May 16, 2017) Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried announced the Assembly’s intent to pass the New York Health Act today. The universal “improved Medicare for all” single-payer health plan would cover every New York resident, regardless of wealth, income, age or health status (A.4738, Gottfried/S.4840. Rivera).

“While lawmakers in Washington debate giving tax cuts to the wealthy and cutting funding for health care for those who need it most, the Assembly Majority remains committed to ensuring every New Yorker has access to the care they need and deserve,” said Speaker Heastie. “The Assembly will once again pass this measure, but the recent action taken by Congress to strip more than one million New Yorkers of healthcare has proven it is time for our colleagues in the Senate to act as well.”

On Wednesday, February 22, the Assembly Committees on Health, Aging, Labor, and Task Force on People with Disabilities will hold a public hearing in New York City on the crisis of New York’s inadequate home care workforce.

Home care allows individuals to receive health care and personal services to live at home instead of in a nursing home or other facility. There is a growing shortage of home care services for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people who are chronically ill. Advocates note that there is a shortage of home care workers that is causing waitlists for these services across the state at a time when demand is increasing. Inadequate Medicaid funding for home care may be a significant obstacle to hiring and keeping people in the home care workforce.

The hearing will focus on obstacles to recruiting, employing, and retaining a sufficient workforce. Witnesses are expected to include patient advocacy groups and self-advocates, home care and disability service providers, and home care workers and organized labor groups.

There’s almost nothing more rigged against working people – or hits them harder in the wallet – than health care. And it’s a life-or-death issue. To make government more responsive to the needs of working- and middle-class people, and treat them with respect and fairness, health care is the place for New York to start.

While we try to stop Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress from degrading Medicaid and Medicare and wrecking the Affordable Care Act, we can work in New York to build a system that serves all of us.

Health care represents almost one-fifth of the economy, and an even a larger part of working people’s income. People are at the mercy of health insurance companies. Rising premiums, deductibles and co-pays; restricted provider networks; and out-of-network charges are real obstacles to health care and family financial stability. Each year, one in three families with private health insurance has someone put off care due to cost, usually for a serious medical condition.

Today, the Assembly Health Committee reported and the Assembly overwhelmingly passed the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), A.1748, introduced by Assembly Member Deborah Glick. The RHA eliminates outdated language in New York State law; guarantees a woman’s right to choose; and ensures constitutionally protected access to safe, legal abortion. It also takes New York’s abortion law out of the Penal Law and puts it in the Public Health Law where it belongs. Reproductive freedom is fundamental and must be secured.

The U.S. Supreme Court will very likely soon have a majority of judges who oppose protecting reproductive choice. This, and Republican control of Congress and the White House, makes it more important than ever for New York to pass the Reproductive Health Act.

As chair of the Assembly Health Committee, a founding member of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus, and someone who has been active with NARAL since 1969, protecting and strengthening reproductive rights and access to care are among my highest priorities. New York’s own landmark law on abortion – enacted three years before Roe v. Wade decision – provides most, but not all, the protections of Roe.

The RHA adds a provision to the Public Health Law saying that any appropriately licensed health care practitioner such as a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or professional midwife may perform an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, or if there is an absence of fetal viability, or if the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. In contrast, the current abortion provision in the state Penal Law says only a physician may perform an abortion and only allows an abortion after 24 weeks when necessary to protect the life of the woman. The RHA would strengthen New York’s law to fully cover all the provisions of the Roe v. Wade decision, and all applicable laws and regulations governing health care in New York will also apply.

While we in New York have been working to protect women’s health, state legislatures and governors across the country have been working to pass unconstitutional anti-choice bills. New York is a pro-choice state – with a history of pro-choice governors, legislators and other elected officials – because we have so many active pro-choice advocates. As Washington threatens reproductive health care rights and access, it is more critical than ever that we organize and fight to protect every woman’s reproductive rights.

The election of Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress are a serious threat to programs and policies that protect our health. Washington could make radical changes to Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, reproductive care, and other programs that could drastically undermine our right to health care, cost New York State billions of dollars a year in federal funds, and destabilize health care providers.

The first step in stopping or reversing these attacks is to clearly understand what’s at stake and spread the word. There is hardly anything more rigged against working people than health care. The Trump-Republican agenda will make it worse. This is a time to redouble efforts in more progressive states like New York to create universal access to health care, with funding based fairly on ability to pay, through an “improved Medicare for all” system.

For years, congressional attacks on funding and programs have been defeated by the threat or use of presidential vetoes. Now we will have a president who may be leading the charge.

Speaker Carl Heastie, Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright and Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried today announced the Assembly will hold public hearings on water quality in New York State in early September.

“Recent reports of water contamination in municipalities across the state have highlighted the need for a thorough review of measures to ensure clean and healthy water in our communities,” said Heastie. “Ensuring a safe water supply for our children and families is a top priority for us.”

Englebright and Gottfried will take testimony at two public hearings in early September related to water contamination situations in various communities across New York State. The hearings will be held in Albany and Suffolk County. The Assembly will review the causes and response to the known contaminations as well as measures to prevent future occurrences.

“Recent events around the nation and here in New York have shown harmful contaminants in the water supply. Drinking water should be safe and clean. Disturbing discoveries of harmful contaminants highlight the need for preventative measures to be put in place to protect our water purity,” said Assemblyman Englebright.

“Ensuring the safety of drinking water in this state is paramount,” said Assemblyman Gottfried. “We’re going to examine the issue of water contamination and assess our current laws and public policies on these matters, and how they’re working, to protect public access to safe, clean water.”

“Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Texas’s anti-choice law restricting access to abortion – in the sheep’s clothing of “safety” regulations –was an extraordinary victory for reproductive rights, patient autonomy, and the right to health care with regulations based on science rather than politics.

Texas is just one of many states engaging in right-wing attacks on reproductive health care. We must fight back against these attempts to politicize crucial health care services. Pro-choice supporters have a lot of work to do.

New York has long been a leader in protecting reproductive freedom. Our landmark protection of abortion enacted in 1970 helped provide the framework for the Roe v. Wade decision three years later, but we have our own battle here. The Assembly has passed the Reproductive Health Act to strengthen our law. But the State Senate did not pass it, reflecting the threat that reproductive freedom faces around the country.

Before yesterday’s decision was released, there was real fear that the decision could go the other way and open the door to horrendous state and federal restrictions on reproductive care. Yesterday’s victory should be a reminder that the U.S. Supreme Court could easily be turned in that direction by even one or two presidential appointments to the Court.

As Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, a key part of my job has always been – and will continue to be – to defend reproductive rights, patient autonomy, access to health care, and policies based on good science and public health principles. Our work together is not done.”

WELCOME!

I represent Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown, and parts of Murray Hill and the Lincoln Center area in the State Assembly. I have been chair of the Assembly Health Committee since 1987. During off hours, I like to write Chinese calligraphy.